Impact-type chuck wrench



y 10, I955 M. P. HOLMES 2,707,892

IMPACFTYPE CHUCK WRENCH Filed Jan. 21, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet l Jaw/Fir g); flm afllam May 10, 1955 M. P. HOLMES IMPACT-TYPE CHUCK WRENCH 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 21, 1953 @2761? WWW United States Patent C) IMPACT-TYPE CHUCK WRENCH Morris P. Holmes, Claremont, N. H., assignor to Jones & Lamson Machine Company, Springfield, Vt., a corporation of Vermont Application January 21, 1953, Serial No. 332,381

9 Claims. (Cl. 81--52.4)

This invention relates to chuck opening and closing mechanism. Chucks are commonly provided with one or more sockets for the reception of a mating wrench, by the turning of which the jaws of the chuck are moved to clamp or release the work. If the work piece be of substantial diameter, the power required to open or close the purpose which may be at all time available for its intended purpose though normally out of position to interfere in any way with the normal use of the chuck.

This invention provides means, therefore, by which the wrench is in normally retracted condition out of contact with the chuck, but which may be caused to move into operative relation thereto when desired in an easy and expeditious manner.

It also provides means by which the wrench or turning member is guided into operative relation to the chuck, and when in position may begin to turn the rotary element with a blow sufficiently hard to release any sticking of the chuck parts. This is important, particularly when it is desired to open the chuck to release a work piece as the work piece is often so tightly gripped at that time that a releasing blow is necessary in order to start opening the 4 chuck.

It also provides for automatic stopping of the wrench advance after a predetermined amount of advance thereof sufficient to properly engage the wrench with the chuck opening and closing means, and an automatic stopping of the retraction of the wrench at a predetermined retracted position.

For a complete understanding of this invention, reference may be had to the accompanying drawings in which Figure l is a central longitudinal sectional view through the operator mechanism in idle condition, a portion of the chuck being shown in position for the chuck to be opened or closed thereby.

Figures 2 to 6, inclusive, are detail sectional views on the correspondingly numbered section lines of Figure 1.

Figure 7 is a view similar to a portion of Figure 1, but to a larger scale and with the parts shown in difierent positions.

Figure 8 is a detail sectional view on line 8-8 of Figure 6.

Referring to Figure 1, the chuck opening and closing wrench mechanism of the present invention comprises a casing 1 to which is secured, as by bolts 2, a bracket 3 having. a pair of spaced split strap portions 4 formed to engage about and be suspended from a stationary bar 5. These straps 4 may be keyed to the bar as by a key 6 (see Figure I) and may be clamped thereto by tightening bolts 7 which engage opposite ends of the split portions. By this means of suspension the wrench is supported with a shaft extension 10 thereof in position to be moved into and out of engagement with a rotary opening and closing member 11 of a chuck 12 mounted in operative position on a suitable lathe or other device to which the bar is secured. As shown in Figure 1, this member 11 is a rotary shaft having a bevel gear portion 13 mating with bevel gear teeth 14 on the rotating element of a spiral clutch which may be of any well known type, it being apparent that by rotating the member 11 in the proper direction, the chuck may be opened or closed as desired.

The shaft extension is a reduced diameter portion of a shaft member 15. The rear end of this shaft 15 is provided with a pair of spaced collars 16 and 17, between which there is journaled thereon, an externally threaded sleeve 18, and engaging the threads of this sleeve 18 is a nut element 20. This nut element 26 is provided with means by which it may be rotated in either direction while held against axial motion, thus to move the sleeve 18 and the shaft 15 axially. As shown this means comprises a reversible motor having the rotor 21 carried by the nut and having a stator at 22. The rotor and the nut 20 are held against axial motion, the nut being mounted in axially spaced ball bearings 23 and 24. The outer end portion of the sleeve 13 is formed cup shaped as at 25 and houses the end collar 16 carried by the shaft 15, these collars 16 and 17 preventing relative axial motion between the shaft 15 and the sleeve 18. The portion 25 also carries on its inner face a ball bearing 26 (see Figure 8) which supports the outer end of the shaft 15 so that this shaft 15 may rotate relative thereto.

The sleeve 18 is held against rotation by key portions 27 on the portion 25 (see Figures 7 and 8) which ride in longitudinal slots 28 in a cylindrical casing member 29 which is connected to the casing 1 through the intermecliate cylindrical casing 3'031 and 32.

The portion 25 also carries a shoulder 33 (see Fig ures 1 and 8) which is adapted to contact with a reversely positioned shoulder 35a of an arm 35 mounted for axial motion within the casing 29 and which extends into an end enclosure 36 where are positioned .a pair of limit switches 37 and 38. The limit switch 37 is normally closed, but may be opened by pressure against the stem 37a therein of a lever 39 fulcrumed at 40 on the enclosure wall 41 and pivoted at 42 to the end portion of the bar 35. Thus when the nut 20 by its rotation has moved the shaft 15 and the parts carried thereby to the right, as viewed in Figures 1 and 8, to a desired limit, the shoulders 33 and 35a contacting, move the bar 35 toward the right and swings the lever 39 to open the limit switch 37. This is when the shaft extension '10 has fully entered the socket in the member 11. Similarly the switch 38 is opened by the member 25 engaging and pressing outwardly a stop pin 40 slidable through the wall 41 and engaging the stop switch element 42, this taking. place when the shaft 15 is retracted to its desired outward limit where it does not engage the chuck.

These switches 37 and 38 are in the control circuits to the reversible motor having the rotor 21 and the stator, and are so arranged, as is well known in the art, that when the rotor is rotating in one direction causing the shaft 15 to be moved axially, this rotationis stopped when the corresponding limit switch is opened.

The shaft extension 10 has slidably keyed thereon va wrench sleeve having a pair of diametrically opposed wing elements 52 which may be engaged in suitable socket portions 53 extending diametrically outwardly from a central cylindrical socket portion 54 of the chuck element 11. The shaft extension 10 is of sufficiently small diameter to pass freely into the socket 54, but the wings 52 may engage within the outer portion of this socket only when they are in position to pass between the lugs 53 of the element 11. The wrench element 50 is normally pressed forwardly as far as permitted by a transverse pin 56 seated in a transverse hole through the enlarged diameter portion 57 of the shaft 15 and riding in a slot 58 in diametrically opposite sides of the wrench element 50. When the shaft 15 is moved endwise toward the clutch element 11, when this clutch element is improperly angularly positioned to receive the extension within the socket 54, the Wrench element may be pushed backward against the pressure of the spring 59 until such time as the rotation of the shaft brings the lugs 52 into position to pass into the outer portion of the socket, whereupon the spring 59 projects the wrench element into position, and further rotation of the shaft 15 also rotates the element 11.

The shaft 15, as shown, is rotated by a motor having a quill 60 through which the shaft 15 passes, this quill being journaled at its end portions in the ball bearings 61 and 62. As shown in Figure 1, this quill 60 has fixed thereto a pair of motor rotors 63 and 64 which have corresponding stators 65 and 66 carried by the casing member 32. These rotors 63 and 64 are preferably rotors of poly-phase induction motors connected up as shown in the Seeger and Stansbury Patent No. 2,312,592 granted March 2, 1943, forming two motors having either the same or different synchronous speeds and having the same or different speed torque characteristics, and as shown and described in this patent, they may be operated either cumulatively, that is, tending to rotate in the same direction, or differentially, whereby one motor tends to rotate oppositely to the direction of rotation of the other motor. Also the voltage impressed upon one motor relative to the voltage impressed upon the other motor may be varied so that it is possible to still further vary the combined speed torque characteristics of the motors.

By this method of control the power for rotating the motors may be adjusted in accordance with the size of the work piece engaged by the chuck, it being understood that these m-otors act to rotate the shaft 15, thereby to open or close the chuck. The shaft 15 is rotated by these two motors through a reduction gear. Thus the quill 6f) carries an end pinion portion 70 which meshes with each. of three gears 71, and to each of these gears there is fixed a small gear 72 which meshes with the teeth of an internal gear 73 having a hub portion 74 (see Figure 1) keyed to a sleeve 75, which, in turn, is splined to a portion 76 of the shaft 15. The hub 74 is positioned between the segmental collar 79 integral with the sleeve and a one of the elements 11 is approximately in alinement with the shaft 15, whereupon the motor 22 is operated in a direction to move the shaft 15 axially into engagement with the element 11. The shaft 15 is then rotated in accordance with the desired direction and torque by control of the alternating current motors for the rotors 63 and 64. As soon as the wrench element may find its position within the outer portion of the chuck socket, it snaps thereinto, whereupon further rotation is effective to open or close the chuck. The inward motion of the shaft 15 is stopped by the opening of the limit switch 37 and its outward motion by the opening of the limit switch 38.

The motors having the rotors 63 and 64 may continue to rotate until they are stalled by the opening or closing of the chuck to its limit, the closing movement, of course, being determined by the closing of the chuck jaws onto the work piece. Removal of the wrench after such a closing or opening of the chuck is produced by actuating the motor having the rotor 21 in the reverse direction to pull the wrench away from engagement with the chuck element 11.

From the foregoing description of an embodiment of this invention it should be evident to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from its spirit or scope.

I claim:

1. A chuck wrench comprising a casing, a rotary and axially movable shaft carried by said casing, means supporting said casing in position for said shaft to be in subhearing partition 77 in which one end of each of the shafts 78 which carry the gear units 71 and 72 is journaled. The opposite ends of the shafts 78 are journaled in the opposite integral end wall of the casing 1. This member 77 is fixed to the end wall of the stationary casing member 1 as by means of the bolts 8'9. The sleeve 75 is journaled within the ball bearing 81 which is held in fixed axial position by the cap member 82 fixed as by bolts 83 to the member 1.

From an inspection of Figure 2, it will be noted that there is a lost motion connection between the motor rotor 21 and the nut member 20, the rotor having angularly spaced lugs 86 which extend between lugs 37 of the nut member 20. This provides for the rotation of the rotor 21 to produce a blow against the nut member, thus to start the axial motion of the shaft 15. There is a similar y in) stantial alinement with the opening and closing mechanism of a chuck to be operated by said wrench and having a non-circular socket provided with a cylindrical cxtension formed to receive the end of said shaft, a movable non-circular wrench element adapted to engage in said socket splined to said shaft, yielding means pressing said wrench element outwardly to engage in said socket when said shaft end is within said extension, means actuablc to move said shaft axially relative to said casing into and out of said socket, and means for rotating said shaft.

2. A chuck wrench comprising a casing, a rotary shaft mounted for axial motion in said casing, a wrench element keyed to one end of said shaft, means supporting said casing with said shaft in position for a chuck opening and closing rotary mechanism to he placed in substantially axial alinement therewith in one angular position of the chuck and normally out of contact therewith. an externally threaded sleeve journaled on said shaft and held against axial motion relative therto, a nut threaded on said sleeve, means holding said nut against axial motion relative to said casing, means for rotating said nut to thereby move said shaft axially, and means for rotating said shaft.

3. A chuck wrench comprising a casing, a rotary shaft mounted for axial motion in said casing, a wrench element keyed to one end of said shaft, means supporting said casing with said shaft in position for a chuck opening and closing rotary mechanism to be placed in substantially axial alinement therewith in one angular position of the chuck and normally out of contact therewith,

an externally threaded sleeve journaled on said shaft and held against axial motion relative thereto, a nut threaded on said sleeve, means holding said nut against axial motion relative to said casing,meansforrotating s" i; nut to thereby move said shaft axially, means for rotating said shaft, and means stopping the rotation of said out when said shaft reaches desired limits of axial motion in each direction.

4. A chuck wrench comprising a casing, a rotary shaft mounted for axial motion in said casing, a wrench element keyed to one end of said shaft, means supporting said casing with said shaft in position for a chuck opening and closing rotary mechanism to be placed in substantially axial alinement therewith in one angular position of the chuck and normally out of contact therewith,

an externally threaded sleeve journaled on said shaft and held against axial motion relative thereto, a nut threaded on said sleeve, means holding said nut against axial motion relative to said casing, a quill journaled on said shaft, a motor having a rotor secured to said quill, and reduction gearing between said quill and said shaft for rotating said shaft by rotation of said quill.

5. A chuck wrench comprising a casing, a rotary shaft mounted for axial motion in said casing, a wrench element keyed to one end of said shaft, means supporting said casing with said shaft in position for a chuck opening and closing rotary mechanism to be placed in sub stantially axial alinement therewith in one angular position of the chuck and normally out of contact therewith, an externally threaded sleeve journaled on said shaft and held against axial motion relative thereto, a nut threaded on said sleeve, means holding said nut against axial motion relative to said casing, a quill. journaled on said shaft, a motor having a rotor secured to said quill, reduction gearing between said quill and said shall for rotating said shaft by rotation of said quill, and a lost motion connection between said quill and shaft to start the rotation of said shaft with a blow.

6. A chuck wrench comprising a casing, a rotary shaft mounted for axial motion in said casing, a wrench element keyed to one end of said shaft, means supporting said casing with said shaft in position for a chuck opening and closing rotary mechanism to he placed in substantially axial alinement therewith in one angular position of the chuck and normally out of contact therewith, an externally threaded sleeve ournaled on said shaft and held against axial motion relative thereto, a nut threaded on said sleeve, means holding said nut against axial motion relative to said casing, a motor rotor journaled on said nut and having a lost motion rotary connection thereto, and means for rotating said shaft.

7. A chuck Wrench comprising a casing, a rotary shaft mounted for axial motion in said casing, a wrench element keyed to one end of said shaft, means supporting said casing with said shaft in position for a chuc.

opening and closing rotary mechanism to be placed in substantially axial alinement therewith in one angular position of the chuck and normally out of contact therewith, an externally threaded sleeve journaled on said shaft and held against axial motion relative thereto, a n1": i

threaded on said sleeve, means holding said nut against axial motion relative to said casing, a motor rotor 1011!- naled on said nut and having a lost motion rotary connection thereto, means for rotating said shaft, and limit switches stopping the rotation of said motor rotor when said shaft reaches desired limits of axial motion in each direction.

8. A chuck wrench comprising a casing, a rotary shaft mounted for axial motion in said casing, a wrench element keyed to one end of said shaft, means supporting said casing with said shaft in position for a chuck opening and closing rotary mechanism to be placed in substantially axial alinement therewith in one angular position of the chuck and normally out of contact therewith, an externally threaded sleeve g'ournaled on said shaft and held against axial motion relative thereto, a nut threaded on said sleeve, means holding said nut against axial motion relative to said casing, a motor rotor journaled on said nut and having a lost motion rotary con nection thereto, means for rotating said shaft, a pair of normally closed limit switches in actuating circuits for either direction for said motor rotor, and operative connections from said shaft for opening the respective circuit when said shaft reaches predetermined axial limits in the corresponding axial direction.

9. A chuck wrench comprising a casing, a rotary shaft mounted for axial motion in said casing, a wrench element keyed to one end of said shaft, means supporting said casing with said shaft in position for a chuck opening and closing rotary mechanism to be placed in substantially axial alinement therewith in one angular position of the chuck and normally out of contact therewith, an externally threaded sleeve journaled on said shaft and held against axial motion relative thereto, a nut threaded on said sleeve, means holding said nut against axial motion relative to said casing, a quill journaled on said shaft, a motor having a rotor secured to said quill, and reduction gearing between said quill and said shaft for rotating said shaft by rotation of said quill, said quill carried motor rotor forming a portion of a variable torque motor.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,479,178 Harvey Jan. 1, 1924 1,648,944 Hofstetter Nov. 15, 1927 1,816,239 Van Hamersveld et al. July 28, 1931 2,384,399 Reynolds Sept. 4, 1945 2.463.656 Thomas Mar. 8. 1949 

